Traditionally, compressors have required a significant amount of space in order to accommodate the size and bulk of most compressors and air storage tanks In addition, the significant weight associated with traditional compressor tanks makes portability difficult for industrial applications. However, air compression tanks require sufficient strength to withstand the pressures of containing sufficient gas for practical use both in a home setting as well as in an industrial setting. Manufacturing facilities often use compressed air as a means to power tools, conveyers, machines and other production equipment.
Demand for compressed air by various industrial equipment often taxes the available space in any particular workspace. Similarly, in home use of air compressors often results in tradeoff considerations in space saving wherein the user runs a risk of not having enough compressed air for his needs, or sacrificing space to house bulky compressor tanks to ensure sufficient compressed air is available for his purposes.
The benefits of readily available compressed air are numerous and previous inventions have attempted to address the need of making a more space saving and portable air compressor available to the general public. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,258 describes a storage tank for compressed natural gas that employs a hydroxy-phenoxyether polymer barrier liner. The invention however, still requires a large rigid outer shell for storage of natural gas. In addition, the materials required to synthesize the inner lining material can be prohibitively expensive making such a device financially untenable for the average user.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,920 describes tank components, for storage of natural gas, that are constructed separately, preferably by extrusion, in which one section of the tank shell is composed of cylindrical portions that are fitted into an outer shell. Again, as described, the tank requires a rigid outer shell in order to accommodate the stored and compressed gas and thus, fails to address the need for more efficient use of space and portability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,954 describes a dual vacuum and air compressor that provides compressed air for tire inflation and a vacuum for cleaning operations at a single location. The device is also described as being connected to an air reservoir however, the device is stationary and there is no ability to transport the device where it is needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,012 to Yquel describes a receptacle and apparatus for refilling the receptacle with compressed air. As described therein, the patent illustrates the device which contains a flexible inner bag that may be refilled. Similar to other devices in the art, the invention requires a hard outer shell for proper containment of the compressed air and further, this device employs the use of liquid for dispensing air in the manner described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,671 describes a method and apparatus for transporting compressed gas that includes a gas storage system having a plurality of pipes connected by a manifold wherein the gas is stored at an optimum compressibility factor range for a given composition of gas. The invention however employs a series of pipes situated within a single “bull vessel”, a device again lacking the portability sought in the art.
Accordingly, difficulties in the field of gas compression equipment, remain. Further, existing solutions fail to address particular deficiencies that confront businesses and consumers seeking alternatives to the existing art and a solution to advancing portability and space saving measures for gas compressors remains elusive. The present invention addresses these shortcomings.